We Have a Long History of Product and Process Innovation

Complex calcium. Bio-Cal® was the first soil amendment to use multiple types of calcium to ensure availability throughout the growing season. Along with OrganiCal™ and HumaCal®, it helped farmers see calcium as a plant nutrient, not just a soil correction. (1980s)

Comprehensive soil testing. We were an early developer and proponent of soil tests that measure specific yield-limiting factors beyond PK and pH. (1990s)

Farm management algorithms. We developed models, now strengthened by decades of experience, that help us recommend specific fertility, rotation and management plans for individual fields. (1990s)

Homogenized trace minerals. MicroPack 5-5-5™ was the first complete, homogenized trace mineral product designed to target yield-limiting factors. It remains the only homogenized, full suite of trace minerals on the market. (1990s)

Humate technology. Midwestern BioAg was the first U.S. company to build fertilizers around dry humates to improve nutrient delivery and water-holding capacity. (2000s)

Shifts in on-farm phosphate use. We were among the first to recommend monoammonium phosphate (MAP) vs. diammonium phosphate (DAP) because its lower pH makes potassium more available to plants, it reduces free ammonia in the soil and it enhances micronutrient availability. The industry followed en masse. (1980s)

Soil-focused genetics. WinterKing™ alfalfa seeds were bred to take advantage of the high-fertility soils we help create. This intersection of soils and genetics remains novel and is being extended to other crops. (2000s)

Soil microbes. Our focus on feeding and managing soil biology preceded the mainstream by more than two decades. We don’t manipulate soil life or sell it — we create the circumstances in which it flourishes. (1980s)

Sulfate form of potash. We were first to recommend the sulfate form of sulfur, a key to plant availability; the industry followed en masse. Potassium sulfate has less salt and longer availability than potassium chloride. (1980s)

Thought leadership. Gary Zimmer, one of our founders, wrote The Biological Farmer (2000s). He and Leilani Zimmer-Durand wrote Advancing Biological Farming (2010s). Their next book, a revised edition of The Biological Farmer, is set to be released in late 2016.

Think the conversation about soil microbes is new? We were having it 30 years ago!